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Wow and the population increased by 47K people in 20 years ... do you think that might be attributable to a general increase in the U.S. population and Florida in general ? Maybe they counted the migrant workers that year ? What the hell did Orlando have going for it before 1971 ? Free orange juice ?
I dont know what Orlando had going for it back then, I wasnt alive. My mom's family has lived in FL since the 1980s and my parents and I didnt move here until 1995. And by your theory about a general increase in the US population AND Florida population, you're saying that the state AND the country as a whole doubled in population in 20 years? I doubt it. Perhaps a lot of people at the time wanted a quiet more relaxed lifestyle
Don't kid yourself, not all professional people want to come to Orlando to live. You can generally assume that professional workers have intelligence and might pay a little extra to live in New York/Boston/Los Angeles/Chicago/SF/et al where there are many more cultural and entertainment options available at any one time other than ride the Pluto roller coaster with you and OrlFLUsa or go to the beach week in and week out.
If those professional people only want to come here on vacation and not live here thats fine. And I'll be honest if I was a professional and I was offered a job in NY or Boston and had no work here, I'd take it. I wouldnt like living there but like I said you need to go where the work is. And hey, I'm riding the pluto rolloer coaster with OrlFlaUsa? For the record I HATE Disney World, I went there once a month as a child and then ended up working there for a year when I was in high school, it was the worst yr of my life. If you get a job there, you are basically signing your life away to the mouse for $7.67 an hour. I'm not a fan of plastic fantasy. As Annerk said, most locals prefer a "real" scene, which is why I'd much rather go for a drink downtown than CityWalk. Living here is similar to living in Vegas in the sense that most locals there dont go to the strip, and most locals here dont go to the theme parks. And there is much more to do than the parks or the beach thats for sure.
Plus a lot of these professionals have children and we don't need to go into the general quality of Orlando schools versus that of say Mass/Connecticut/NJ do we ? The lower COL might appeal to the lower wage earner, but for those making over 150K, it is not as big a factor.
Cost of living alone may not be a factor, but lack of state taxes certainly would be, Florida is great compared to up north and California in the sense that this state doesnt tax its residents to death. We are actually quite blessed to not have a state income tax, and even at that income, not having state income tax makes a difference, and that would attract anyone of any income. And something else that makes Florida better than up north, you cant shovel heat the way you kill your back shoveling snow. Plus extreme heat wont kill you, extreme cold can and will. And going back to taxes, property taxes there are killer, ask anybody who lives there. And I can say being from Connecticut that it is not a great place to live. Its cold, dank, and dark most of the year and a lot of people there have drug and alcohol problems. Not saying drugs and alcohol dont exist here, but its much more of a problem up north because people there are so negative its depressing
And finally, a lot of professionals actually like four seasons and don't want to endure the 7 months of high heat and humidity just to save a few bucks on the bottom line.
Once again, you cant shovel heat
Central Florida as a whole would get hammered if tourism dropped off sharply. Sure, now you have some government contractors and a few software companies but what else ? Tourist meccas employing minimum or low wage workers and retail establishments doing the same, that's what.
I didn't even think about the state income tax part. My husband technically works in a northern state and has to pay state taxes. What we're paying in State taxes would more than pay for a year of undergrad tuition and fees at UCF. Not a semester, a YEAR.
It's not that someone living here can't find something to do outside of the beach or a theme park. It's attracting new professionals to an area that pales in comparison to other desirable metros.
Ok so we're in agreement that NY, Boston, Philly, LA the "real cities" have more professionals...fine, it would not be fair to compare Orlando a relatively new city to these older more established ones. What makes metro areas of similar size like Portland, Vegas, Cleveland, Cincinnati, San Antonio better than Orlando and better yet, what are THEY doing to attarct professionals?
My daughter goes to LHPS, but if I relocated back to Boston, I'd put her in public school. Plenty of my professional friends in Boston enrolled their children in public school. And weren't you the one extolling the excellence of NJ public schools awhile back ?
What makes the Orange County Public Schools so bad?I spent my elementary school and high school lives in OCPS schools, and graduated from Freedom High in 2008, and I turned out ok. And I'm willing to bet there are a lot of people who went through public schools here who turned out just fine. And the schools that are "problem" schools, is not entirely the students faults (though some is but I wont delve into that) there also has to be more parent involvement in their children's lives, and teachers need to be more motivated. Parents need to realize school is not their personal babysitter. My brother is a sophomore at Freedom High School now and is doing great, he is an honor roll student and is very involved in the choir and marching band, and his friends are good well behaved kids whose parents actually care about what their children are up to, I dont know maybe thats just my little "bubble" in Hunter's Creek
Seriously doubt it's an equal number considering the number of professionals that live up north compared to here and since those same professionals are not moving here in droves.
Like I said, with the Medical City just opening, and still being brand new and all, as more jobs open up and offers are sent to those professionals interested, they will come if they feel the opportunity is for them. If not, somebody else will be happy to get out of the ice and snow of NY and New England to come here and enjoy the tropical climate and make good money
In closing I would just like to say that I am SO OVER the negativity in this thread. If all you're gonna do is b*tch and moan about how Orlando is so bad, I-4 is nearby for you to take up to I-95 and feel free to head back up north. Not to say Orlando is all roses and goodness, its not, but I consider myself a positive person and I try to be the best person I can be every day and I enjoy the good things about this city. In the words of Phil Collins "This is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given, use them and let's start trying to make it a place worth living in" There really isn't much love to go around in this thread is there. Instead of the complaining why dont we ask ourselves what we can do to make Orlando a better place to live if it's SO HORRIBLY bad here
Not to hijack the thread, but since I'm new in town, where are these hard rock acts playing? Are you referring to local bands, national acts or both?
Both. And in some cases the local bands ARE national acts. We just had another one get signed a couple months ago. There are at least half a dozen national acts based in the greater Orlando area, and another dozen musicians who live here and play with national acts based elsewhere. Keep your eyes open while you're out and about, you'll see a lot of them hanging out and checking out other bands pretty regularly.
Hard Rock Live
House of Blues
Firestone Live
The Social
The Back Booth
The Haven
Are all a good start.
Check out WJRR's Earth Day Birthday, 19 national acts on the bill, including at least a few that are Orlando based.
+1 Couldn't have said it better myself...What Orlandoians don't seem to recognize is that Disney is not here for the betterment of the community and it is certainly not committed to the community that is financially dependent on it, if tourism drastically dropped off Disney would be the first to cut and run...if people really believe that it could never happen, well all I can say is they have been "Disneyfied"...
Perhaps never is a strong word, but almost impossible would be more accurate. Disney would most definitely not be the first to "cut and run" considering they started the tourism industry in Orlando and have by far the most invested. Give me a break. Also, tourism has gotten stronger, not weaker. There is no reason to believe that tourism will dramatically drop off with the way all the parks are spending. Keep in mind this is all during a recession when people have the least disposable income, and people still can't stay away. If Disney does "leave", it would only be because they went bankrupt, not because they want to locate somewhere else. They have far too much invested already, and they continue to invest in this market.
Cost of living alone may not be a factor, but lack of state taxes certainly would be, Florida is great compared to up north and California in the sense that this state doesnt tax its residents to death. We are actually quite blessed to not have a state income tax, and even at that income, not having state income tax makes a difference, and that would attract anyone of any income. And something else that makes Florida better than up north, you cant shovel heat the way you kill your back shoveling snow. Plus extreme heat wont kill you, extreme cold can and will. And going back to taxes, property taxes there are killer, ask anybody who lives there. And I can say being from Connecticut that it is not a great place to live. Its cold, dank, and dark most of the year and a lot of people there have drug and alcohol problems. Not saying drugs and alcohol dont exist here, but its much more of a problem up north because people there are so negative its depressing
You might want to learn to use the quote button, but back on topic ...
No state tax ... big friggin deal ... normally salaries are higher in states with a state tax. Obviously this doesn't apply to the minimum wage folks, but I doubt the state tax really affects them much as there is a threshold amount of income earned before a state tax takes effect. I used to consult in NYC and always adjusted my hourly rate to compensate for the NY state tax and NYC tax.
As far as heat vs cold, you can certainly die from extreme heat or cold if you are not prepared for it. How many kids are left in a hot car in Florida during the oppressive summer and don't make it ? Hell, people were dying in the Midwest last year during the summer heat wave. And people freeze in Oregon in the snow when they get lost and their car breaks down.
Connecticut is cold, dank, and dark most of the year ? When did you leave Connecticut ? When you were 2 ? 5 ? You make it sound like Siberia, but of course that is your opinion and is not shared by most the residents of the state. And get real with the alcohol/drug problems ... Florida has more than its share of those as well (look at all of the meth labs around).
I gather from your previous posts that you haven't lived in too many places as an adult (Las Vegas and Orlando correct) ? So what makes you qualified to comment on "up North" ? And you must be aware that it gets cold and hot in the midwest and western U.S. as well ? Come back and share your experience when you've actually lived some place that isn't a tourist trap.
Moderator cut: Please, no name calling, bashing and inappropriate language.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 04-04-2012 at 09:40 AM..
No state tax ... big friggin deal ... normally salaries are higher in states with a state tax. Obviously this doesn't apply to the minimum wage folks, but I doubt the state tax really affects them much as there is a threshold amount of income earned before a state tax takes effect. I used to consult in NYC and always adjusted my hourly rate to compensate for the NY state tax and NYC tax.
Even if my salary was higher, I'd still rather not pay state income tax thank you
Quote:
As far as heat vs cold, you can certainly die from extreme heat or cold if you are not prepared for it. How many kids are left in a hot car in Florida during the oppressive summer and don't make it ? Hell, people were dying in the Midwest last year during the summer heat wave. And people freeze in Oregon in the snow when they get lost and their car breaks down.
Those kids left in hot cars here in Florida (and other places that have notoriously hot summers) are the unfortunate victims of stupidity by their incompetent parents. And the heat created in a closed car is unrealistic. If the temperature is 96 degrees, its about 145-150 in the car. It has not gotten that on ANYWHERE on earth, its an unnatural heat. The mid-upper 90s summertime temps here in Orlando wont kill you, but the sub-zero temps (Which not many experienced this past winter) CAN AND WILL kill you a lot faster than the heat down here. Those unfortunate people who died in the midwest heat waves were not prepared for that kind of heat because most of the year the temperature is below 50 degrees, same with the northeast and New England. Everytime the NE has a heatwave, there's a chance power could fail because the grid there is older than dirt. Remember the NYC blackout of 2003? I was in CT (yes it affected CT too) than and our house lost power for 4 hours, and the heat was oppressive. Thank God OUC is reliable enough to keep Orlando cool when the temps rise, why? because thats natural to FL's climate, in New England its not
Quote:
Connecticut is cold, dank, and dark most of the year ? When did you leave Connecticut ? When you were 2 ? 5 ? You make it sound like Siberia, but of course that is your opinion and is not shared by most the residents of the state. And get real with the alcohol/drug problems ... Florida has more than its share of those as well (look at all of the meth labs around).
We moved to Orlando in 1995 when I was 5, we moved back to Connecticut in 2001 and lived there until late 2005 when we came back to Orlando, so from ages 11-15 I have a pretty good recollection of the harsh winters the northeast experiences, especially when my father (may he rest in peace) was too lazy to help me dig the family car out of the 10+ inches of snow that fell almost once a week. And I can speak about the alcohol and drug problems because I saw them all around me. even in middle school kids were smoking weed and drinking to excess. Connecticut is NOT so great, the city where I'm from (Waterbury) has one of the lowest qualities of life in the US, and was ranked the worst place for businesses and careers by Forbes, a similar situation applies to Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. Connecticut sucks! Not to mention the people who live there either have their noses in the air or are just plain miserable and rotten. I consider myself (if you know me well enough) a kind hearted, down to earth, and genuine human being. A lot of people dont like that but oh well, their loss
Quote:
I gather from your previous posts that you haven't lived in too many places as an adult (Las Vegas and Orlando correct) ? So what makes you qualified to comment on "up North" ? And you must be aware that it gets cold and hot in the midwest and western U.S. as well ? Come back and share your experience when you've actually lived some place that isn't a tourist trap.
Yeah, Vegas and Orlando. What qualifies me to comment about living up north is that I was there from 2001-2005, even though I wasnt quite an adult, I got a taste of life up there, and hated every minute of it
And yes I am well aware it gets cold and hot in the midwest and west, I watch the Weather Channel, and when I see footage of someplace getting a snowstorm, or videos of cars sliding on icy roads, it makes me glad I live here so I dont have to deal with that
And you know what the best part about living in a tourist city is?
There's always something to do. I hate being stuck at home bored all the time, I like to go out and do things, drive around, explore, see whats going on around town, I might find something interesting or something (or some one) I like. Thats the problem with Connecticut, nothing going on there....yawn....wow I just suddenly got so sleepy
And sure the big major cities in this country have "culture" and big fancy museums, and symphonies, and musicals, and plays and all that jazz. Does it make me not "cultured" or "white trash" (As many have called me) for not liking those things? I'm all about being with my friends and family and having a good time. Sure we drink too much beer, swear on occasion, tell dirty jokes, laugh when somebody farts, hit on girls who are out of our leagues, but my circle of friends are genuine, down to earth good hearted people who enjoy life without being stuck up. Thats what makes Orlando great to me, I feel I can connect with a lot of people here. If you dont like my style, fine, but at least Im honest about who I am and proud of it. And I can honestly say I'm a happy person, Im happy with the direction my life is going, and I'm happy my life is here in Orlando
Moderator cut: Orphaned material.
I'm done because now Im just rambling
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 04-04-2012 at 09:41 AM..
Even if my salary was higher, I'd still rather not pay state income tax thank you
Florida still gets it from you one way or another...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavieJ89
The mid-upper 90s summertime temps here in Orlando wont kill you, but the sub-zero temps (Which not many experienced this past winter) CAN AND WILL kill you a lot faster than the heat down here.
The average summertime temperatures in Orlando may "read" mid-high 90's, but the heat index is much higher and you forgot to include the high humidity. And YES if one is exposed unprepared and unprotected the heat in Florida will kill you, ever heard of Heat Stroke, happens a lot here in sunny Florida.
Exposure to any kind of extreme temperature will kill you. As far as the length of time it takes for exposure to extreme temperatures to cause death--unless you've done a scientific study that cold kills faster than heat I don't believe you're qualified to make that statement. It also may vary from person to person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavieJ89
We moved to Orlando in 1995 when I was 5, we moved back to Connecticut in 2001 and lived there until late 2005 when we came back to Orlando, so from ages 11-15 I have a pretty good recollection of the harsh winters the northeast experiences, especially when my father (may he rest in peace) was too lazy to help me dig the family car out of the 10+ inches of snow that fell almost once a week. And I can speak about the alcohol and drug problems because I saw them all around me. even in middle school kids were smoking weed and drinking to excess. Connecticut is NOT so great, the city where I'm from (Waterbury) has one of the lowest qualities of life in the US, and was ranked the worst place for businesses and careers by Forbes, a similar situation applies to Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. Connecticut sucks! Not to mention the people who live there either have their noses in the air or are just plain miserable and rotten. I consider myself (if you know me well enough) a kind hearted, down to earth, and genuine human being. A lot of people dont like that but oh well, their loss. Yeah, Vegas and Orlando. What qualifies me to comment about living up north is that I was there from 2001-2005, even though I wasnt quite an adult, I got a taste of life up there, and hated every minute of it
Sounds like your living conditions probably contributed to much of your disdain and hatred for Connecticut...
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Originally Posted by DavieJ89
wow I just suddenly got so sleepy
me too...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavieJ89
Thats what makes Orlando great to me, I feel I can connect with a lot of people here. If you dont like my style, fine, but at least Im honest about who I am and proud of it. And I can honestly say I'm a happy person, Im happy with the direction my life is going, and I'm happy my life is here in Orlando
Very good for you, but you should really empathize with people that are not happy because things aren't going so great and they live in a place they hate for all the same reasons (maybe more) that you hated about living in Connecticut.
[i][i]The average summertime temperatures in Orlando may "read" mid-high 90's, but the heat index is much higher and you forgot to include the high humidity. And YES if one is exposed unprepared and unprotected the heat in Florida will kill you, ever heard of Heat Stroke, happens a lot here in sunny Florida.
While it is true Florida heat can kill you, I just did a quick search and found that it is not as bad as many other states, or about the same. In one survey, 16 states ranked higher in terms of percentage of people that have had heat stroke.
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Couldn't have said it better myself...What Orlandoians don't seem to recognize is that Disney is not here for the betterment of the community and it is certainly not committed to the community that is financially dependent on it, if tourism drastically dropped off Disney would be the first to cut and run...if people really believe that it could never happen, well all I can say is they have been "Disneyfied"...
